Juice Beirut tournament tabled due to administration concerns

A Juice Beirut tournament intended to raise money for Health Services has been postponed because of concerns from the administration.

Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senator Jeff Katzin developed the idea earlier this year because he felt the attraction to Beirut or Beer Pong was the nature of the game, not the drinking aspect.

Director of Health Services Michelle Bowdler, with whom Katzin collaborated, said the objective of the event was to work together "on how to come up with fun, well-attended, alcohol-free events." She said she hoped the tournament would be the first in a series of social activities sponsored through Health Services.

Administrators objected to the use of games usually associated with consuming alcohol at a University event, however. The Pachyderm forbids Tufts students from participating in "drinking games."

Bowdler said her "only hesitation is that drinking games can be dangerous and can easily lead to alcohol poisoning."

Katzin found similar objections among the administration. He said the TCU Senate was looking for something "slightly more cutting edge, but this may be pushing it a little too much with certain administrators on campus."

Bowdler said there is no connection between alcohol abuse and holding a Juice Beirut tournament. She offered an example. "Giving people condoms doesn't prevent sex from happening, but it doesn't encourage it either," Bowlder said.

Bowdler said a tournament such as this would be a perfect example of "harm reduction." Harm reduction, Bowlder explained, is a pragmatic approach to prevent binge drinking. "You don't just walk about saying 'just say no.' That's ridiculous, harm reduction is listening, respecting and understanding," Bowdler said.

Bowdler conceded the tournament, while not a bad idea, might not be the best way to launch a campaign for responsible campus events. In response, the TCU Senate and Health Services are considering other ideas, including a Casino Night.

Not all students find the idea of the event appealing. Sophomore Adrienne Roma feels that "it's weird to have Health Services sponsoring an event like this. A tournament like this would be condescending and make me feel like I'm in preschool, besides who wants to drink all that juice."

Katzin is still optimistic about future events. "The main point is that we want to create an event on campus that's alcohol-free whether it's a fundraiser or for free."